DAYTONA BEACH, FL (CBS) -- A dramatic rescue of a mother and her three children after their minivan ended up in the ocean was all caught on camera.

Witnesses ran into the surf in Daytona Beach, Florida late yesterday afternoon- desperately trying to stop a minivan from driving further into the ocean.

Inside was a pregnant mother who was behind the wheel and her three young children trapped. Taylor Quintin witnessed this and said, "My friend pointed out that there was a car getting really close to the beach and actually started driving on the water. I saw a kid in the back waving his arms around screaming help us help us and the car kept going deeper."

You can see the mother walking away from the SUV after rescuers got her out.

A tourist shot this video from the beach; it shows two of the children being carried out of the water, away from the vehicle.

And then rescuers pluck the remaining child from the open trunk moments before a huge wave crashes over the top of the minivan.

Investigators are trying to figure out how and why the vehicle ended up in the water, but witnesses say it appeared deliberate.

Another witness said, "When the bystanders went to help she clearly went deeper into the ocean she drove right towards it, so it's hard to believe it was an accident."

The family is from South Carolina- the three children all under the age of ten. They were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office confirmed this morning that the mother who was driving the vehicle is pregnant and is still in police custody.

A sheriff's department spokeswoman reportedly described her as incoherent and uncooperative after the rescue.